


Cute Boys. Bloody Noses.

by thelonebamf



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, College AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 14:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6524305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelonebamf/pseuds/thelonebamf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hal ends up on the receiving end of some college pranks gone wrong, a fellow student shows up to help, and an unlikely friendship begins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a fun little side project to entertain a buddy, but I thought I'd go ahead and share it here. The writing style is a little less formal and free-form and casual, but I hope it's light and fun.

_When you’re in an engineering program of any kind, be it electrical, computer or mechanical_  
_You’re gonna pull a lot of late nights_  
_And most campus buildings are open pretty damn late if not 24 hours, but a lot of them require you to use a key card to get into the building (your ID, that kind of thing)_  
_You know, to encourage you to stay up all night in the computer lab_  
_(because that’s healthy...)_

 _But, campuses are always expanding, building being re-purposed, you might find yourself walking from your chosen major’s building back to the dorms at 2 am should you be so lucky as to get to go back and sleep in a bed._  
_But that can be quite a walk and it can be pretty dark and let’s face it there’s plenty of people out there who are up to no good_  
_Sometimes even stuff like college pranks can get out of hand._

* * *

  
There’s an unsuspecting college student.  
Midterms are coming up and he’s been burning the candle at both ends.  
Practically living in the engineering building but it’s late. He hasn’t been back to his dorm in two days. Living off of energy drinks and granola bars out of the vending machine and catching quick naps in his computer chair.  
But enough is enough. He needs real sleep. a shower. Change of clothes. Maybe not in that order.

  
The walk is almost a mile and a half, engineering building being on the far end of the long, rectangular campus.  
He’s only just started back, not too quickly because it feels like his legs have been asleep since yesterday.  
He doesn’t hear the sound of several pairs of sneakers behind him until they’re almost upon him.

  
“Nothing personal” he hears one of them say “We just gotta prove we’re ‘man enough’ to join”

  
He’s on the ground and he can feel has hands being pulled behind him and there’s a bright flash from a Polaroid camera, who even uses those these days?

He does sort of wish they’d thrown him into the grass instead of the pavement. It was just a few feet away

  
 But that’s stupid. He’s stupid. Wouldn’t have gotten into this situation otherwise. Should have just spent another night in the lab.

  
He hasn’t had a bloody nose since he was a kid. Fell down on the playground. Tried cleaning it up himself back then, mostly just made a mess of his jacket, streaks of red on his sleeves. He wonders if he’ll do a better job this time around. Damn, he likes this hoodie. It’s the one with all the pockets

 Of course he shouldn’t be worrying about something like that. These guys seem intent on liberating it from him anyway. Oh and his shirt, he realizes as he watches the contents of his bag go clattering to the ground.

  
He lurches forward sluggishly, please, please don’t let them have damaged his laptop. Please. He’s got to present in two days.

  
And it’s that, of all things that ends up making him cry. Because this was supposed to be his way to better things. This was supposed to be his way out to wherever it was he was meant to be. He was supposed to find the place he belonged

  
He’s almost too upset to realize he’s alone on the ground now. For one reason or another, they’ve stopped.

  
“We got what we needed anyway…” he hears a voice retreating

 Slowly he opens his eyes and he can see his belongings strewn on the ground, and it takes him a second to gather himself, pushing a hand against the cold pavement to push himself up so he can get his things

  
And he realizes there’s someone there.

  
 There’s someone there and- and they have his bag and-  
“Give it back!” He croaks, voice hoarse. “Please, just, give it back!”

“Whoa, hey, hey now.” The stranger leans down, takes a knee near him and holds the bag out. “I’m not… look, here…”

He can barely see straight- his glasses must have gone missing in the scuffle as well, he realizes- but he snatches a hand out and draws the bag close to his chest like a shield. “Please, just leave me alone.”

“Um, no? At least not yet. Those jerks really did a number on you. Just, hold on for a sec okay?”

  
And whoever this stranger is, he vanishes for a moment, only to return with another handful of papers gathered from the ground. Carefully, he reaches out to replace the glasses to his face, and Hal can see for the first time the look of genuine concern in front of him.

  
“You okay?” The question seems foolish, obviously he’s not. Face bloodied, bruises already forming on his chest and arms, adrenaline from the panic having mixed poorly with his long building exhaustion

Still. It’s nice to have someone ask.

  
And it’s that, more than anything- the stress of the semester, the aggressive beat-down at the hand of some strangers that breaks him.

  
He doesn’t even know the person in front of him, but that doesn’t stop him from sobbing against his chest, an inelegant smear of red mixing with his tears.

  
 He doesn’t expect the arm around him, but he’s glad for it when it comes.

He doesn’t remember the walk back to the dorms. Which is probably why it takes him so long to realize he’s not in his room at all.

  
So he just sits there, trembling from the cold and worry and wondering why he’s here in this place that’s so like his own room but somehow alien.

  
 Fingers twisting in a set of blue plaid sheets, he looks up suddenly as the strange young man returns, gets his first good look at him.

He’s handsome, but there’s a serious look on his face, and he won’t quite meet Hal’s eyes, keeping his gaze focused on the scrapes and bruises.

  
He doesn’t say anything, just sets to work cleaning up. The alcohol stings, but Hal can’t summon the energy to wince and pull away.

  
He doesn’t want to pull away for anything, he realizes.

  
“Your shirt… I… I’m sorry, I got it all…”

  
“Don’t worry about it. Not your fault. You know those guys?“

  
"Never seen them before in my life. They just sort of… came out of nowhere and started…”

  
 "I think I know the type. I’m sorry.“

"N-no, you didn’t… I mean if you hadn’t come by I might have ended up losing… I just… thank you.”

  
He gets a smile for that, but it doesn’t quite reach the eyes of…

  
“I’m sorry, you… I don’t even know your name and…”

“David.” He quietly lifts Hal’s head up to take a look at the damage. There’s a small crack at the edge of his frames, and the blood around his nose has dried. It’s not a pretty picture.

“Oh. David. I’m… I’m Hal. I’m really sorry about all of this. I know it’s late and you probably have…”

“Sit down, you’re not going anywhere.”

 There’s a sternness to his voice and it’s almost scary, but the hands on his shoulders keeping him seated are surprisingly gentle.

 "It’s late, but those guys might still be out looking for trouble.“  
He’s unsure exactly what he means to suggest by that, but he doesn’t get a chance to act, Dave is already busying himself at his dresser, pulling out a well worn t-shirt and pair of flannel pants

 "You wanna get cleaned up? I can wait for you here.” He hands him the clothes several sizes too large. “Bathroom is right next door so I won’t be far.”

Hal says nothing, just accepts the clothing, pads silently out the door. The hot water stings at his skin, especially where he’d been bleeding before, but it’s long overdue, and it seems like he’s shutting off the tap too soon.

He comes back into the room, warm and hazy, damp locks of hair clinging to his neck, only to find Dave cramming a few things in a backpack.

“I’ll head downstairs. Sleep in the common room. Roomie is at his girlfriend’s pretty much every night so if he’s not here now he won’t be back til tomorrow.”

 "N-no"

 "Hm?“

"Don’t… don’t leave. It’s okay. It’s your room, your bed. You shouldn’t have to… please. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I knew I’d made you…”

“It’s really okay.”

 "Y-yeah.“ The idea of David leaving makes him feel uneasy, like the warm air rushing out of the open door after a bath. He suddenly feels cold, overcome with exhaustion and falls weakly to sit on the bed. "I’d still just rather… please. Will you stay?”

Dave says nothing, but sets his bag down, nods once, and Hal relaxes.

 "Get some sleep, something tells me you have a big day tomorrow.“

"Y-yeah…” Hal yawns and slips under the covers which are surprisingly soft. He hears the creak of springs across the room, but is asleep before he can think much about it.

He doesn’t see Dave watching him quietly in the dark.

* * *

Hal wakes to the sound of the door closing, the thick sound of solid wood sliding into the jamb. He blinks once or twice and searches for his glasses before realizing he’d fallen asleep with them on his face.

“Had to run a load anyway. Here.”

 His hoodie, shirt and jeans are neatly folded, still warm from the dryer.

“You didn’t have to do that…”

“Wasn’t any trouble. And I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to make it back to your room before you had to get to class.”

“Huh?” Hal squints as the clock on the dresser. “SHIT! It’s ten?” He leaps up, scrambles to pull on his clothes in a flurry, too frazzled to notice the faint blush that’s crept onto Dave’s face as borrowed pajamas go flying into the air.

“I’ve gotta… I mean thank you and.. I owe you big time I just have to… I only have two more days!” He’s hopping on one foot, pulling on a sneaker.

 "Y-yeah, it’s fine. Better get going.“

He’s slung his bag over one shoulder, god, it aches. Who even needs this many text books?

"Look if you- if you ever get into trouble again…” there’s a soft crinkle of paper, a small folded square in his hand.

 "…Thanks. I’ll call. You really… you really don’t have to do that but… oh man, I’ve got to run. Thank you again!“

There’s a deep exhale as the door slams shut again.

  
_Dammit. He was really cute._

* * *

It’s another long night, but he knows if he doesn’t get some sleep he won’t be any good for his presentation. At this point he’s just double checking and making himself worry.

Of course, there’s a new worry on his list. Beyond the possibility of a flagrant system error or sudden wipe of the hard drive. One that has him in cold sweats if he lets his thoughts linger for too long.

But he can’t let fear control him. He knows this. It’s the reason he’s here in the first place, why he’s decided to get the "college experience” instead of taking classes remotely. Right.

If only the brochures had mentioned anything about finding yourself face down in the dirt.

He makes his way down the steps, counting them in his head as though it was some kind of ward against bad luck.

 "Hey.“

He turns so quickly he nearly falls, trips over his own feet, and his arms rise in front of his face as he braces himself for the inevitable 'crack’ as he meets the marble.

It doesn’t come.

Instead there’s just a firm grip around his arm, one that relaxes slowly as he finds his balance.

"Whoa, hey. You okay?”

It’s him.

For some reason. Here. At this time of night.

“D-Dave? What are you-”

 "Figured you might be out late again. Thought I’d walk you back in case those idiots tried to have a second go.“

"That’s really um… wait, you’ve been waiting out here all night?”

 "Not all night, no. Hour maybe. Two.“

 He has no response to that. What could he say?

"You. Ah. I mean, I’ll be alright.”

“Okay then. Mind if I walk with you?”

 "Um, sure that sounds….“

 Great. Really fucking amazing actually. Please.

”…fine.“

It’s hard to read his expression in the dark of the night. The few street lamps doing little to illuminate anything beyond the path.

 "How did you know where I’d be?”

 "Saw your books when I was picking them up from the ground. Advanced Engineering. Principles of Nanotechnology. I might not be a genius like _some_ people, but it wasn’t hard to figure out.“

It _sounds_ like he’s being teased. But it feels like…something else.

"You really went through a lot of trouble. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“It’s not really about that. Don’t worry so much.”

“Sometimes I think that’s all I’m good for.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

Somehow the door they’ve ended up at isn’t the one that leads to Hal’s room.

“You staying over again?”

“Huh? Oh… oh damn I didn’t even notice, sorry I just got caught up in,”

 "It’s really okay. I don’t mind. Set the alarm for whatever time you need.“

"Don’t you…?”

“Kinda in the habit of waking up early no matter what.”

He wonders silently if that meant he’d interrupted Dave’s sleep schedule for the second night in a row, but continues to toe his shoes off, set his bag on the floor.

 _It’s fine._ He thinks. _Just for tonight. Tomorrow the presentation will be done and you won’t have to stress and you can handle things on your own. It’s just one night. It’s okay to accept someone’s help for just one night._

Dave is out like a light, sleeping on his side in his roommate’s bed. And Hal remembers his glasses this time, taking one last, silent look before folding them neatly and setting them aside.


	2. Chapter 2

“You expecting someone else to show up?”

“Huh?”

“You have half a dozen different kinds of chips in that bag. Or are you just that hungry?”

“I didn’t know what you liked so I thought… different kinds maybe.”

He shrugs nervously, offers a smile but the look on Dave’s isn’t one he’s learned to read yet, although he’s seen it often enough. He slips through the door and makes himself at home, pulling his legs up onto the bed and faces the small television set on top of the small shelf.

Dave, left literally holding the bag just shakes his head and empties its contents onto the his desk, sifting through them before finding one that’s appealing and bringing it with him as he takes a seat next to Hal.

“So what else did you bring?”

“Well I saw that Jack has a Dreamcast hooked up, and brought over a game, is it really okay to use it? It’s kind of an older system and some people get… particular about their things.”

“It’s fine. I got the all clear.”

“Okay, well this is kind of a cool game, all the different robots have different stats and abilities, so you just pick the one that matches your fighting style and…”

“Your fighting style involves pink hearts and pigtails?”

“Hey, Fei-Yen is one of the most agile Virtuaroids in the game! Just watch, I’ll show you.”

Several games later, Hal is the clear victor although this might have as much to do with Dave’s inexperience and the clunky controller as any skill he might have possessed.

“Is that robot wearing… high heels?”

“Crazy right? Some of the designs… I mean they’re neat to look at but don’t make any sense. It’s just a game though, not anything that could exist in real life. I mean not with our current technology anyway.”

“But that’s what you’re working on, isn’t it?”

Hal flips through the character selection screen a few more times, cycling through the short list of robots.

“You… you don’t think that’s stupid?”

“ ‘Course not. I mean, _I_ sure couldn’t do it. I think it’s pretty damn ambitious.”

The menu timer runs out and the match begins but Hal hesitates to start moving, lets his character idle on his half of the screen.

Of course his teachers have given him high praise for his excellent course-work, and the few classmates he’s ever spoken to have seemed enthusiastic enough, but it’s different, hearing it from Dave.

Which is silly really. They’ve only known each other a few weeks and their interactions have been limited to playing video games or watching a movie a few times a week, whenever Hal seems to have time. He thinks Dave must have his own school work to be taking care of, but he’s never had to wait longer than a few minutes for a response to his texts, always found Dave available when he suggests they make plans.

He wonders when Dave hangs out with his other friends. When he’ll get to meet them. But so far, he hasn’t mentioned any, except for Jack whose video game systems they’ve made liberal use of in the last couple of days.

Hal is brought out of his thoughts by the high pitched cry of defeat, Angelan having fallen to the explosive power of Belgdor’s missiles.

“Kinda feel like I didn’t deserve that win. Everything okay in there?”

Dave reaches out and gives Hal’s hair a gentle ruffle before settling back into his seat.

“Y-Yeah. Sorry. Just got distracted. Y'know?”

“Not really.”  


* * *

The game eventually gives way to a movie, a round of instant noodles, then a few episodes of a show Hal has seen three times before, but insists on showing Dave here and now.

“You’ve just- oh man right around episode six, things start getting serious and it really takes off, just trust me.”

“More robots?”

“Yes. Well no. Not really. Actually, forget I said that. S-spoilers.”

“Whatever you say, Hal.”

To his credit he makes it as far as 'Asuka Strikes’, quietly admitting he’d had a wall-scroll of the character when he was back in high school, but that he definitely left it behind when he moved away for college. But as the eighth iteration of 'Fly Me To The Moon’ starts to play, he starts dozing, back inching ever so slowly down the wall.

He wakes some time later, television glowing a soft blue, blank aside from the 'VIDEO’ flickering in the corner. He's lying across the familiar blue blanket without a hint of grace, and has stolen David’s arm as a makeshift pillow.

And Dave… Dave hasn’t moved at all, he’s just sitting resolutely still, though his eyes dart back to the television when he feels Hal begin to stir. His arm must be asleep and sore from the awkward angle.

Hal shifts slightly to free him, pulls the blanket over his shoulders.

And Dave remains still. Makes no move to leave, or pull away.

It’s not comfortable, perhaps, the “twins” this bed was designed for must have been conjoined…

…but it is good.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Hal mumbles, eyes closing again.

There’s no answer.

He won’t remember asking in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Eventually, he does meet David's friends.

 

There's Frank, who is somehow more serious and stern than Dave, parses words out as though each one costs him dearly. But there's a slight change in his expression at times, when the two of them are rough housing, and Hal thinks he might detect a sort of cautious affection in his eyes. He thinks that he understands well enough.

 

And Johnny, who asks if Hal would call him "Akiba" but seems shy about Hal's inevitable line of follow up questions. He wonders if he could get the group to call him by a nickname as well, or if it’s the sort of thing that has to be given to you naturally over time.

 

Jack eventually proves his existence, showing up one friday afternoon, panicking about having nearly forgotten the crucial three month anniversary despite his girlfriend's frequent hints. (Rose is her name Hal eventually learns, but has yet to meet her.) His worries seem to subside a bit when he sees David and Hal in the middle of a bout of Street Fighter and settles in for a good three hours, mumbling something about picking up some flowers the following morning.

 

And Meryl.

 

Actually Hal finds himself surprised it took so long to meet her, or for David to mention her at all, although he supposes not all couples are quite so attached at the hip as Jack and Rose. It isn't as though David is particularly talkative anyway, even less so when it comes to personal matters, seemingly content to let Hal ramble about his own life.

 

She just shows up one day with a broad smile, calling out to Dave, before dropping unceremoniously on the bench the two of them were sharing, close enough that their legs are touching. Hal scolds himself for noticing.

 

”Not gonna introduce me to your new friend?"

 

”Ah sorry, that's rude of me, isn't it."Hal rises, offered his hand."I'm Hal. Emmerich. It's nice to meet you..."

 

"Meryl. I'd say I'm surprised Dave hasn't mentioned me, but let's be honest, we know who we're dealing with here."

 

She takes his hand in hers and shakes it vigorously, gripping his hand hard enough that Hal wonders if isn't some kind of test.

 

"Y-yeah. No surprises there."

\--

Hal finds himself being a little more cautious after that. He doubts Dave will even notice, but the last thing he wants is to make things awkward between them. Hal's seen Jack sulking after an argument with Rose, and even if Meryl seems to be cut from different cloth, he's sure spending more time with your buddies than your girlfriend is a classic mistake, easily avoided.

 

So Hal quits dropping by so much and never unannounced. He suggests moving game time to the common room so everyone can fit around the tv. And he makes sure to take the far side of the sofa after Dave takes his seat.

 

It becomes second nature soon enough, so smoothly that he almost forgets why he’s doing it at all. Doesn’t have to think about leaning far out of the way when Dave reaches over him for a bag of chips.  Doesn’t have to remind himself not to let his eyes rest on his friend’s features for too long, keep his gaze moving about the room. Doesn’t flinch nervously if their fingers touch on the common room sofa, just slowly, evenly returns his hand to his lap.

 

And if he misses their quiet nights together, watching anime til the wee hours and falling asleep jammed between the wall and the warmth of another body, he tells himself it's for the best to think of it as a single moment in his life. Comfort when he needed it and nothing more. And as for David... well, he's probably relieved.

 

Besides, having friends, getting together... it's good. Really good.

 

It's definitely enough.

\--

 

By the time there’s snow on the ground, he’s almost stopped thinking about it altogether. Everything eventually becomes habit, reflex and he doesn’t have to think about why he reacts the way he does, never considers explaining it to anyone. It isn’t as though they notice anyway. Not Dave of course, although it is hard to tell. He never says anything so Hal assumes he’s managed to take the right course of action in a matter of feelings. Feelings he hasn’t got the right to in the first place, even if there was a chance of reciprocation which of course there isn’t.

 

What was that about not thinking about it?

 

The common room is empty for a change, but a quick exchange of text messages yields a direct invitation up to Dave’s room. The door opens on the second knock.

 

It’s just the two of them for a while, and it almost feels like it did in the beginning. Hal relaxes a little, finds the words and laughter coming more easily as they start a movie Dave had mentioned wanting to see, but hadn’t got the rest of the group to agree to.

 

“Won’t they mind us starting without them? We could wait.” They’re already half an hour in.

 

“Uh. That’ll be a long wait won’t it?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Everyone else is gone. Rose and Frank just had projects and essays due on the last day of class. Meryl and Jack lucked out with early exams so they’re already gone for the holiday.”

 

“Oh.” _Oh…_ “Shit, I… I didn’t realize…” His hands tense, he reaches for his bag. “I… should clear out then, you’ve probably got a lot of studying to do and-”

 

“Hal.”

 

“Yeah, man I dunno what I was thinking, coming over in the middle of exam week…”

 

“ _Hal._ ”

 

“I’ll… catch you later then, after the break maybe?”

 

His words are pouring out too quickly, voice too high, vision blurred around the edges. Not at his best so it’s not really a surprise when he opens the door in his own face, smashes it into his nose, already red and dry from the cold.

 

“...shhhhhit.”

 

“Jeezus Hal, what the hell? Come here.”

 

It’s not a lot of blood. More the result of thin, dehydrated skin being cracked open than any real damage but it is dripping onto his hand when he turns around, more embarrassed than hurt. David shakes his head, sighs, and goes looking for his kit.

 

Neither of them say anything for as long as it takes for the bleeding to stop. And then-

 

“Are you afraid of me?”

 

“Wh-what?”

 

“Are. You. Afraid. Of me?”

 

“No. No of course not.”

 

“Then why all the…” Dave gestures erratically with his hand in the air. “Did I do something wrong? To make you so-”

 

“You didn’t do anything.” Hal answers quickly, pinches the bridge of his nose.

 

“Then?”

 

“I’m… not sure I should say.”

 

“ _Hal._ ”

 

“Okay! Okay! Sorry.” Maybe it is a little scary, he thinks. Not Dave but… more the likelihood that he’ll make an awkward situation worse. “It doesn’t matter anyway so I might as well tell you.”

 

“Tell me what?”

 

Hal runs a hand over his face, realizes too late he’s smearing a streak of red across his cheek. “I mean, I know nothing’s going to come of it since Meryl is your girlfriend and all, but-” he makes a faint whining sound, hoping it’s against ‘the rules’ to hit a guy who’s already bleeding. “I… like you. A lot actually.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah but… look don’t worry about it.” He scrambles to his feet again, wipes his nose on the back of his hand, gives the most genuine smile he can muster. “I understand, and it’s fine. It’s really fine. It’s been fine all semester and I swear I’m not gonna make things weird for you two, I’ll just keep quiet and out of the way and you won’t even notice.”

 

“I fucking noticed, Hal.”

 

 _Shit._ “I’m sorry. I’ll… yeah I’ll go. And I’ll be sure to give you guys more space.” _Outer space sounds pretty good right now. Just go straight to Mars. Or Jupiter._

 

“Let me get this straight. You like me. But I’m Meryl’s boyfriend.”

 

“...yeah. Sorry.”

 

“Did Meryl tell you this?”

 

“N-no, but?”

 

“Well good. Then I guess I don’t have to break any bad news to Johnny about his girlfriend having secret crushes.”

 

“Wait, what?”

 

Dave crosses his arms, looks at the wall. “I mean I guess you’re half right. We did go out for… I dunno, a week or two? Couple of years ago. Didn’t work. But we’re still… dunno. Close I guess. Or she thinks we ought to be. But uh, no. Meryl’s not my girlfriend.”

 

For a second Hal forgets about his nose because all the blood seems to be pounding in his brain.

 

“Kinda had my eye on someone else, actually. But I was worried I’d scared them off so... y’know. Never said anything about it.”

 

Hal’s bag falls to the floor, buttons and pins making an awful clattering sound.

 

“And… now?”

 

There’s a flash of icy blue, melted immediately by a warm smile. “Well. It so happens I just got some good news on that front.”

 


End file.
